Character Perspective Guest Post with Terri Osburn
May 30, 2017
Hi there! I’m Terri Osburn and today I’m excited to celebrate the release of THE LAST IN LOVE, the fifth
and final installment in my Ardent Springs Series.
This entire series has been about second chances, and Abigail “Abby” Williams
deserves one more than most. After losing her husband to a roadside bomb, this
Army widow has watched family and friends all find their happily ever afters.
All while she’s still mourning the husband, and future, that she lost.
Anyone who’s had the experience will tell you that being a military wife is not
for the weak, and Abby definitely learned that during her marriage. The constant
worry. The long months alone, hoping he’s safe and feeling guilty for wishing he
didn’t have to be so far away. The fear you can’t ignore. Will this be the last
time I see him alive? Will that dreaded knock on the door come today?
Unfortunately for Abby, that knock did come, and she’s spent two years trying to
get past it. Let’s see how she’s doing now.
Do you regret marrying a military man?
Of course not. I loved Kyle and I don’t regret a moment that I had with him. He
taught me about patience, duty, and honor. I wouldn’t trade those years for
anything.
News has it that you set your kitchen on fire. What happened?
That’s an excellent question. All I did was put a cake in the over. Seems like a
harmless enough thing, doesn’t it? Next thing I knew, the smoke alarm was
blaring and I grabbed my phone and ran out of the house. According to Justin, a
faulty oven was to blame.
Who is Justin?
Oh, yes. *deep sigh* Justin Donovan is a former acquaintance and a local
volunteer firefighter who responded to the call. (Author note: by former
acquaintance she means a man five years her junior whom she once babysat. She
doesn’t like to mention that part.) Ahem. Justin was nice enough to be with me
when the insurance rep came to look at the house. He knows much more about these
things than I do, and it was nice to have someone there for support.
A younger man? Go, Abby.
There is no go, Abby. I’m 33 and he’s 28. I was his babysitter, as Ms. Osburn
had to bring up. I couldn’t possibly date him. (Author note: He’s all grown up.
There’s no reason she can’t date him.)
But you do date him, don’t you?
I do. I mean, technically, we’re both adults. And we’re working together to
start a landscaping business. So it’s a little business and pleasure.
Aren’t you a nurse?
That’s a touchy subject. I was a nurse, until the hospital was hit with
budget cuts and I became disposable. It isn’t as if I gave them more than ten
years of my life or anything. I applied for other nursing jobs in the area, but
for reasons beyond my control, could not find a position. It’s fine. Now I’m
trying something new. Something creative. That’s what you do, right? You take a
hit and get back up to fight another day.
Do you think it’s smart to mix business and pleasure?
Maybe not for some, but this isn’t an office situation and I’m not dating my
boss. Justin and I are equals. I made sure of that when I agreed to take this
crazy dive into something I know almost nothing about. And more importantly, I’m
having fun. Not sure I can remember the last time I could say that. Also, have
you seen the man? I’m only human over here.
So he’s hot?
That’s like saying, “So a buttercup is kind of yellow?”
We’ll take that as a yes. Isn’t it scary dating a firefighter? Especially
after what happened with your husband?
I’ll admit, I had my doubts. Especially when that factory mess happened. (Author
note: you’ll have to read the book to find out what happened at the factory.)
But as a very wise woman pointed out, you love for better or worse. When the
worse comes along, you don’t walk away. Nothing is ever guaranteed so if you’re
lucky enough to find love, you hold on tight and deal with whatever comes.
So you love Justin?
These are very personal questions. Next, please.
Anything else you want to tell us about how you’ve overcome adversity?
That’s a more reasonable question. The fact is, I haven’t always handled my
adversities in the best way possible. I went through it all—denial, anger, pity,
and depression. And along the way, I hurt a few people closest to me. But in the
end, I found my feet again. I found my voice, learned to let the past go, and
moved on. Even when it looked like my second chance wasn’t going to happen. That
doesn’t make me special. It makes me human. As I said before, you take a hit and
get up to fight another day. Sometimes you drink a bottle of wine first, but
once the room stops spinning and the hangover clears, you stand up and move forward.
My journey hasn’t always been graceful, but I’m still here and I’m finally happy
again. I’ll take that any day.
Abby Williams lost her husband—and the future she envisioned—to a roadside
bomb in a foreign land, so a kitchen fire is no big deal. When the local firemen
show up to put out the blaze, the army widow finds herself attracted to one hot
volunteer firefighter…until she realizes it’s Justin Donovan, a man five years
her junior.
Justin has long carried a torch for Abby. But after she got married ten years
ago, he put her out of his mind, left Ardent Springs for Chicago, and got a job
as a real estate developer. Now he’s back—for reasons he’d rather not share—and
he wants to prove to Abby that age is nothing but a number. Will Abby’s
reluctance and Justin’s secrets extinguish any attempts at romance? Or will the
sparks between them ignite a second chance at love?
Romance Contemporary
[Montlake Romance, On Sale: May 30, 2017, Paperback
/ e-Book, / ]
Terri Osburn started putting words on the page in 2007. Five years later, she was named a finalist in
the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest for unpublished manuscripts.
Shortly after, she signed with an agent and moved into publication, with her
debut novel, Meant to Be, released from Montlake Romance in May 2013. Terri
lives on the East Coast with one high schooler, three long-suffering tabbies,
and a hyper Yorkiepoo with attachment issues. To learn more about Terri, check
out her website at terriosburn.com.